Window control mechanism



July 20, 1954 J. H. ROETHEL 2,684,257

WINDOW CONTROL MECHANISM Original Filed March 14, 1944 l; INVENTOR.

5 J/hz fiiaef/ezf wmgxw M Patented July 20, 1954 WINDOW CONTROL MECHANISM John H. Roethel, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Marvel Equipment Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Original application March 14, 1944, Serial No.

526,450. Divided and this application June 24, 1949, Serial No. 101,146

4 Claims.

This invention relates to window regulator mechanism and particularly mechanism for controlling the operation of glass or transparent panels or the like of vehicles, especially automobile bodies, an object of the invention being to provide an improved mechanism which is compact, relatively simple in construction and economical to manufacture, eliminates considerable frictional resistance to the movement of the windown panel, is capable of being easily assembled, and is adapted for use without material changes to various types of windows.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for slidingly connecting the end of a swinging window regulator arm to the lower edge of a sliding window panel or to a mounting plate, the improved construction permitting not only easy installation of the regulator but also easier operation thereof due to the reduction in frictional resistance during operation of the window regulator.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved connecting means for the end of a swinging regulator arm, such means including a member which is formed with a longitudinal channel having the back wall thereof provided with a longitudinal slot through which the transverse stud or pin on the end of the regulator arm freely projects, this stud either being formed integrally with or carrying a separate bearing portion or element which has smooth bearing engagement with the upper and lower generally horizontal walls of the channel, and the stud being held against withdrawal by means of a removable device attachable to the end of the stud after it has been inserted through the slot in the back Wall of the channel.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a view illustrating a window regulator mechanism embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken substantially through lines 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken substantially through lines 3-3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken substantially through lines 44 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows, this view showing in solid lines out.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating a further embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the anti-friction collar or sleeve shown in Fig. 5.

Before explaining in detail the present invention it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiment and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

This application is a division of my application Serial No. 526,450, filed March 14, 1944, now Patent No. 2,481,535, dated September 13, 1949.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown a window regulator mechanism for raising and lowering the window panel I I, this mechanism being mounted within the window well of the door between the inner and outer metal door panels thereof. The window regulator is exemplified as of the cross arm type comprising a pair of intersecting crossed arms 43 and 44 pivoted together at 45 at the locality of their crossing. The construction and arrangement of the arms are such that they will pass by each other during operation. The weight of the window is counterbalanced by means of a spiral clock-type spring 46 having one end anchored to the pivot 45, which is attached rigidly to the arm 13, and. the other end of the spring is anchored to a pin 4'! attached to the arm 44. The regulator arms are mounted upon a single elongated pressed metal mounting plate 48 which in turn is adapted to be attached to the inner door panel of a vehicle door. The plate ifl is stamped in one piece and provided at opposite ends with offset flanges 48a and also intermediate its ends with an offset or embossed portion 58b. The portions 48a and 48b lie in the same plane and are formed with screw bosses to receive screws 480 by means of which the plate 48 may be detachably secured to the inner door panel. Rigidly secured to the inner end of the arm 43 is a gear sector 49 which is pivoted to the mounting plate by means of an adjusting bolt 50 extending through an arcuate slot 5! in the plate. The bolt carries a nut which may be loosened so as to shift the bolt within the slot 5|, thereby adjusting the position of the gear 49 and, hence, the inner end of the arm 43. When the nut is tightened on the bolt, the position of the pivot of the arm 43 will be fixed. The gear sector 49 is driven through the medium of a pinion on a pinion shaft which is driven from the handle shaft 52 through the medium of the usual friction clutch mounted within a clutch housing 53 which has a flanged base riveted at d to the mounting plate 48. It will be noted that the plate 48 is relatively narrow and preferably has a width not exceeding substantially the height of the flanged base of the clutch housing 53.

The plate 48 is pressed or rolled to provide a laterally extending channel 55 forming, as shown in Fig. 4, a generally vertical back wall 550; and upper and lower parallel horizontal walls 552). After the channel 55 has been formed, as shown in Fig. 4, a portion 56 of the back wall is punched out along the dotted lines 51 so as to form a horizontal extending guide slot 58 through the medium of which a sliding connection is provided for the inner end of the regulator arm 44. Referring particularly to Fig. 3, a stud 59 is riveted at its inner end to the lower or inner end of the arm 45. This stud is cylindrical and is formed between its ends with a cylindrical portion 59a of larger diameter adapted to fit between the sides 55b of the channel 55 and in bearing engagement with the inner surfaces thereof. Thus, the portion 59a of the stud provides a sliding bearing for the stud within the channel 55 and beyond this bearing portion the stud has a cylindrical shank portion 59b of smaller diameter than the height of the guide slot 58 so as to be entirely free from engagement with these edges. Beyond the slot 58 the end of the stud is formed with an annular groove Bil.

Mounted on the stud 59 at the outer face of the plate 48 is an anti-friction washer 6| comprising a sheet metal backing disk or piece 62 and a facing piece or disk 63 of felt-like material, the latter being held in place by crimping the disk 62 around the marginal edge of the material 63 as shown at 62c. When the metal of the disk 62 is thus crimped around the edge of the felt material 63, this edge will be pinched in thereby causing the central portion of the material 63 to bulge out. As a result only the bulged portion of this material will engage the face of the mounting plate 48 above and below the channel 55. The anti-friction washer BI is urged outwardly by means of a compression spring 65 interposed between the washer and the arm. 46. The metal backing disk 62 of the washer has a central cylindrical hole permitting it to slide on the stud 59. This hole, however, has a smaller diameter than the bearing portion 590. of the stud so that outward movement of the washer under the influence of the spring 65 is limited by engagement of the edge of the hole in the disk 62 with the shoulder formed by the bearing portion 59a. A second anti-friction washer 6|, although somewhat smaller in diameter, is adapted to be inserted over the free end of the stud 59 with the felt portion 63 thereof slidingly engaging the outer surface of the back wall 55a of the channel 55 at opposite sides of the slot 58. This second washer, insertable over the end of the stud as shown in Fig. 3, is interlocked in place on the stud by means of a cotter pin 66, the legsof which are formed with outwardly curved or arcuate portions 66a adapted to be interlocked in the groove 60 when the cotter pin is forced over the end of the stud. The width of the bearing portion 59a of the stud is preferably sufficiently less than the depth of the channel 55 so. as to leave at all times some clearance, such as indicated at 64, between the bearing portion 59a and the inner face of the back wall 55a. During operation, therefore, sliding engagement of the stud in the channel will only be along the inner horizontal surfaces of the sides 55b of the channel.

The outer end of the regulator arm 44 has a sliding connection, generally indicated at 67, with an angle bracket 88 spot welded to the bottom of the retainer channel !5, as shown in Fig. 2. In like manner, the outer end of the regulator arm 33 has a sliding connection Bl with an angle bracket 6% spot welded to the bottom of the retainer channel !5. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the bracket 68 is formed with a channel It} having the back vertical wall thereof punched out to provide a slot 7!. This construction corresponds in all substantial respects to the construction shown in Fig.3 and above described. In like manner, the connection 67, as illustrated in Fig. 2, is identical to that shown and described in connection with Fig. 3. The connection of the arm 43 to the bracket 69 is also identical to that shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the only difference being in the length of the bracket and the guide slot therein. Thus, it will be seen that the connection between the arms 43 and 44 with the lower edge of the window panel and the connection between the inner end of the arm 44 and the mounting plate '53 are all substantially identical.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, there is shown therein a somewhat modified connecting means which may be used in place of that shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In this instance the stud 52, which is riveted to the end of the regulator arm, has a cylindrical portion 72a of increased diameter which extends through the slot in the back wall of the channel 55. The diameter of this cylindrical portion, however, is less than the height of the slot so that the stud at all times will be free of engagement with the edges of the slot. Mounted upon the stud i2 is a bearing member 73 comprising a washer or disk portion 73a and a cylindrical sleeve or collar portion 73b. The latter extends between the cylindrical part 72a of the stud and the upper and lower walls of the channel so as to provide a hearing. The flange or disk portion 53a of the bearing member has a hole fitting over the portion of the stud of smaller diameter and adapted to abut against the shoulder 12b formed between the stud portions of small and larger diameter. From this construction it will be seen that the bearing member 13 is trapped on the stud i2 between the regulator arm and the annular shoulder or abutment 52b. The bearing device E3 is preferably formed of porous oil bearing metal such as the metal commonly known in the trade as Oilite metal. Thus, a constantly lubricated bearing between the stud and the bracket 88 or E9 is provided by means of the bearing device 53 which forms the entire bearing medium between the stud and the bracket, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. It will be understood that the connection shown in Figs. 5 and 6 may be substituted at the inner or lower end of the arm M for the connection shown in Fig. 3. As in the embodiment shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the end of the stud 72 is releasably locked in position by means of a cotter pin 65, and interposed between this cotter pin and the back wall of the channel 10 is a fiat washer (4 also preferably formed of oil bearing metal such as used in the bearing device 13.

I claim:

1. A window regulator comprising a swinging arm, a transversely projecting stud secured to an end of the arm, a member having a longitudinal channel forming upper and lower spaced general ly parallel horizontal bearing surfaces, a connecting wall between the edges of said bearing surfaces furthest away from said arm, said wall having a longitudinal slot of less height than the Wall to provide opposed edge portions spaced apart a less distance than said bearing surfaces, bearing means on said stud between said wall and arm, said bearing means including an integral part having longitudinal sliding engagement with said surfaces and being limited by said edge portions against transverse displacement axially of said stud relative to said bearin surfaces, said stud having a portion projecting through said slot, and means carried on said portion to prevent withdrawal of said stud through said slot.

2. A window regulator comprising a swinging arm, a transversely projecting stud secured to an end of the arm, a member having a longitudinal channel forming upper and lower spaced generally parallel horizontal bearing surfaces, a connecting wall between the edges of said bearing surfaces furthest away from said arm, said wall having a longitudinal slot of less height than the wall to provide opposed edge portions spaced apart a less distance than said bearing surfaces,

9 bearing means on said stud between said Wall and arm, said bearing means including an integral part having longitudinal sliding engagement with said surfaces and being limited by said edge portions against transverse displacement axially of said stud relative to said bearing surfaces, said bearing means having a second washer-like part engaged with a front wall of said member and also with an abutment on said stud, said stud having a portion projecting through said slot, and means carried on said portion to prevent withdrawal of said stud through said slot.

3. A window regulator comprising a swinging arm, a transversely projecting stud secured to an end of the arm, a member having a longitudinal channel forming upper and lower spaced generally parallel horizontal bearing surfaces, a connecting wall between the edges of said bearing surfaces furthest away from said arm, said wall having a longitudinal slot of less height than the wall to provide opposed edge portions spaced apart a less distance than said bearing surfaces, bearing means on said stud between said wall and arm, said bearing means including an en larged cylindrical portion of said stud having longitudinal sliding engagement with said surfaces and being limited by said edge portions against transverse displacement in one direction relative to said bearing surfaces, said stud having a further portion projecting through said slot, and means carried on said further portion to prevent withdrawal thereof through said slot thereby to maintain said enlarged cylindrical portion against withdrawal in a direction cpposite to said one direction.

4. A window regulator comprising a swinging arm, a transversely projecting stud secured to an end of the arm, a m mber having a longitudinal channel forming upper and lower spaced generally parallel horizontal bearing surfaces, a connecting wall between the edges of said bearing surfaces furthest away from said arm, said Wall having a longitudinal slot of less height than the wall to provide opposed edge portions spaced apart a less distance than said bearing surfaces, bearing means on said stud between said wall and arm, said bearing means including an enlarged cylindrical portion of said stud having longitudinal sliding engagement with said surfaces and being limited by said edge portions against transverse displacement in one direction relative to said bearing surfaces, said stud having a further portion projecting through said slot, said slot being slightly larger than said further portion whereby the latter is substantially free of frictional engagement with the edges of said slot, and means carried on said further portion to prevent withdrawal thereof through said slot thereby to maintain said enlarged cylindrical portion against withdrawal in a direction opposite to said one direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,168,242 Roethel Aug. 1, 1939 2,319,088 Roethel May 11, 1943 2,379,924 Roethel July 10, 1945 2,409,068 Roethel Oct. 8, 1946 2,541,579 Fish Feb. 13, 1951 

